Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday appeared to accuse some political forces in Armenia of exploiting what he described as the usual export-import issues within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). 

Pashinyan was asked by reporters about Russia’s growing restrictions in recent weeks on the import of Armenian goods. 

The Armenian prime minister, speaking outside a polling station after casting his vote in the parliamentary elections, said that such matters pertaining to phytosanitary standards and re-exports are constantly arising and are discussed regularly between EAEU members, of which Armenia and Russia are both members.

“Every time at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting and the Intergovernmental Council meeting, we discuss dozens of issues on the agenda related to phytosanitary matters, standards, exports, re-exports, and issues of product origin,” Pashinyan said.

“All EAEU countries are interested and concerned that goods from third countries should not be imported, labeled as EAEU goods, and then re-exported to another EAEU country.”

Such issues arise constantly, he said, adding that the current public emphasis on them is driven by the interests of certain forces operating in Armenia.

Armenia was earlier notified by its union partners—Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—that they would like to see a referendum in Armenia choosing between staying in the EAEU or withdrawing and moving toward the European Union. The developments come amid growing ties between Armenia and the EU, which Armenia says do not contradict its EAEU membership for now.

In response to that statement, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 1 that Armenia will continue to work within the Eurasian Economic Union framework until the point when choosing between the European Union and the EAEU becomes unavoidable. The prime minister noted that there are currently no grounds for holding such a referendum, as Armenia’s European integration process is not yet at a stage where citizens can be presented with a clear choice. “Until the point when Armenia has either officially applied for EU membership or is very close to obtaining candidate status, holding any referendum would be unreasonable,” Pashinyan said.

In light of these developments, Russia has been imposing growing import restrictions on a wide range of Armenian goods in the run-up to the Armenian parliamentary elections held on June 7. This has prompted Armenian exporters to look for new markets, particularly in the EU.

Pashinyan is leading the Civil Contract party’s re-election bid.

An individual running a business association in Russia has been arrested in Armenia for allegedly plotting to organize the transportation of Armenian nationals to the country for the June 7 elections.

The Investigative Committee said in a press release that its probe revealed that A.G., who serves as the vice president of the Armenian Business Council of Russia, arrived from Russia in Armenia on May 31, 2026, and allegedly pledged via Telegram to transport Armenians living in Russia free of charge to ensure their participation in the parliamentary elections.

The suspect, whose identity is withheld, has been arrested.

Investigative measures are underway to identify and apprehend other accomplices in the scheme.

Other details were not immediately available.

The European Union is already a new export destination for Armenian goods, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote in the parliamentary elections, Pashinyan commented on a wide range of issues, including new trade arrangements with the EU.

He said that the European Union market will be opened for Armenian agricultural products without customs duties.

“The European Union is already a new export destination. The most important and pleasant news is that during my phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in addition to their urgent provision of €50 million in support to help us partially subsidize agricultural and other export-related issues caused by artificial barriers, she also conveyed very important information: agricultural products from the Republic of Armenia will be exported to the European Union without customs duties, meaning under a free customs regime,” Pashinyan said.

According to him, all EU member states are becoming new export destinations for Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed during a phone call on June 4 the response to Armenia’s economic challenges and the further development of bilateral cooperation. The European Commission President reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to supporting the strengthening of Armenia’s economic resilience and development programs. She said the EU is preparing a support package that includes over €50 million in immediate financial assistance, as well as additional measures aimed at expanding export opportunities for Armenian products and facilitating trade. “Today I spoke with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about Russia’s recent restrictions targeting Armenia. This is nothing short of economic coercion, and it is unacceptable,” President von der Leyen said in the readout published by the European Commission.

President von der Leyen pledged targeted aid for affected sectors and deeper economic and connectivity cooperation with Armenia and announced that a joint EU–Armenia Task Force will be created to oversee the implementation of all these initiatives.

During Armenia’s parliamentary elections, live broadcasting is being carried out from 1,774 polling stations, each with at least 300 registered voters.

A total of 2,005 polling stations are open across the country.

Technical equipment and video surveillance systems are operating without interruption, contributing to the transparency of the electoral process and increasing public trust, Deputy Chair of the Central Electoral Commission Nune Hovhannisyan said at a press briefing on election day.

Hovhannisyan said that the technical equipment used for voter identification and the cameras have contributed to transparency of the elections.

“Most importantly, I think public trust has increased both in the electoral process and in the electoral bodies. These tools have helped strengthen public confidence. This is why the Central Electoral Commission decided to provide live broadcasting during these parliamentary elections from all polling stations where the number of voters exceeds 300. There are 1,774 such polling stations,” she said.

“All stages of the voting process are therefore under observation. At the same time, the most important point is that voter secrecy is ensured in all polling stations. We do not have any polling station where the presence of cameras could lead to a violation of that principle,” she said.

Referring to the technical equipment, Hovhannisyan noted that during these elections, around 4,000 technical devices have been deployed in 1,996 polling stations.